7 Times Paris Hilton Earned Her DJ Award

There once was a time when Paris Hilton was famous for more than just being Paris Hilton. I mean, yes, that's what was her original claim to fame, but there was also her show The Simple Life with Nicole Ritchie and then there was that time Kim Kardashian and Hilton were friends (and then broke up and then became friends again). Then the socialite tried to launch a music career with "Stars Are Blind" and the rest of us were too busy laughing until our sides hurt to really take her seriously after that. However, she still managed to find some musical success — just not with singing. According to TMZ, Hilton has won an NRJ DJ Award for "Women's Newcomer of the Year," and, honestly, I think she's earned it.

I should probably start by saying that I don't know a lot about DJing. My idea of a good DJ is one who acquiesces to my request to play "The Thong Song" by Sisqó and "Get Me Bodied" by Beyoncé at any club that I go to. And the only other DJ I can name besides Hilton is Ansolo (a.k.a. the DJing alter-ego of actor Ansel Elgort). I won't pretend to be some kind of expert on the intricacies of the art, but I've listened to many of Hilton's sets and I have to say that, based on those sets, there are seven solid reasons why she totally earned this award.

1. She is her own hype (wo)man

I don't know about you, but the speech that Hilton gives to preface her set in India got me really, really excited to see what she had in store for them. Not only does she compare their city to Ibiza — a.k.a. the celebrity party capital of the world — but she also seemed ten times as happy to be there as the crowd was. Now that's how you get people pumped.

2. She overcame negativity

In Hilton's very first set as a DJ, she was... well, not very good. That's not a personal opinion. That seems to be an objective fact considering she was booed by the audience and mocked by Twitter. However, not only did Hilton not run off the stage crying, she also finished her set and won the audience over. Later, she described it as "such a rush."

3. She has good taste in music

Did she just blend Notorious B.I.G's "Hypnotize" into Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" into Benny Benassi's "Cinema?" Yes, please, thank you, I'm done. I want her making all of my mixes from here on forward.

4. She doesn't overwhelm you with self-promotion

I'm not saying Hilton doesn't have a running habit of slipping a few of her own songs into her sets. Luckily for her, her music lends itself very well to the club vibe she's trying to build and goes so well with the rest of the songs that you might not even notice it in there. Which is good, because her skill as a musician is firmly set on, "ehhhhhhhhh," for me.

5. She knows how to put on a show

All right, so the fireworks in the background of her set weren't specifically there because Hilton wanted them there. However, the fact still remains that the music she chooses to mix went along perfectly with the fireworks show, enhancing the experience rather than one distracting from the other. It takes a pretty good DJ to compliment, rather than being drowned out by, fireworks.

6. She can multitask.

DJing requires a lot of concentration. You control not only which songs play, but how they play; that's why there are so many knobs and dials. However, not only was Hilton able to keep the music going and flowing well in this set, she was also able to drink a cocktail and check her phone frequently. It looks funny to watch, but it's a testament to her skill that she could do all those things without fumbling.

7. She's just plain good at it

Forget for a moment that you're listening to Hilton and that it's a cool trend to hate on anything that she ever does outside of being Hilton. In my opinion, she's actually pretty good at DJing and her sets always sound solid and fun, even with the awkward dancing and frequent checking of her cell phone. Considering how passionate Hilton seems to be about spinning, I'm glad she was able to find some success and even win an award for it. She's certainly earned it in my book.